Gravel and sand washer



lnventor Cttorneg June 20, 1933. v. M. HADDON GRAVEL AND SAND WASHER Filed May 5, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet l V.M.Haddon June 20, 1933- v. M. HADDON 1,914,420

GRAVEL AND SAND WASHER Filed May 5, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 XM .H addon (Ittorneg wie 1933 v M HADDON @9349420 GHAVEL AND SAND WASHER Filed May 5, 1932' 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented June 2), 1933 sarna TATES VRGIL M. -IADDON, 0F VALLEY, NEBRASKA GRAVEL AND SAND lWASHER Application filed May 5,

This invention relates to a gravel and sand washer for use in separating earth, sediment, mud or other substances from gravel and sand.

5 rlhe invention has for its object, broadly, to provide a machine for use at the mine or place where the frravel and sand beds are located, and which will operate practically and effectively for separating the gravel and sand 0 from the objectionable substances mentioned,

gravity being depended upon, in part, for operation, and water being user, together with rotatable parts for removing mud or sediment, and grinding parts being` used for the 5 disintegration of adhesive lumps of earth, and parts of the machine operating to retain the sediment, clay or lumps of earth until they have been washed away and separated from the sand and gravel.

l It is an object of the invention to provide a labor saving machine consisting of few and simple parts which may be conveniently manufactured, assembled and disassembled, and will occupy a limited space for operation, for washing` and preparing gravel and sand, practically free from debris and ready for the market.

With the foregoing objects in view the invention presents a new and useful construction, combination and arrangement of parts as described herein and claimed, and as illustrated in the drawings, it being understood that changes may be made in form, size, proportion of parts and minor details, said changes being within the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the drawings, Fig. l is a view in side elevation of a. gravel and sand washer embodying my invention, the supporting-frame being broken away. Fig. 2 is a view of the same in longitudinal section. y

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the washer, a part of the stationary hopper being in section. Fig. is aI transverse section on line v of Fig. l, apart of the rotatable receptacle being removed. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on line 5--5 of Fig. l.

Referring now to the drawings for a more particular description it should be stated that various means are used for elevating Serial No. 609,406.

sand and gravel from sand pits, gravel beds found in mines and beds of streams, but in nearly all instances the sand and gravel thus produced will be mixed with earth, vegetable mold or other foreign substances, and these substances must be separated from the sand and gravel to provide a marketable product.

By use of the present invention any lumps of clay, gumbo, vegetable matter or earth which are soluble in the presence of water are disintegrated and separated from the gravel and sand without the aid of manual labor, and without the attention of an operator except in making certain adjustments as will be described.

The invention consists, in part, of an upright cylindrical casing 6 mounted upon a frame 7 of any suitable construction which will provide a firm support for the weight carried by the casing and which will resist stresses directed thereto by mechanism used for operation.

Numeral 8 indicates a receptacle of inverted cone-shape for collecting gravel and sand and is disposed in the casing and provided with a vertically disposed conductingpipe 9 leading from its bottom, the top of said receptacle being open and provided with a vertical flange A disposed adjacent to the casing and providing a passageway B between said flange and said casing to permit water and liquid substances to pass therethrough.

The conducting-pipe 9 and receptacle 8 may be rotated by any suitable means and at any required speed by means of a rotatable horizontal operating shaft l0 rotated by any suitable power, said shaft being provided with a pinion 1l in engagement with a miteigear wheel 12 which is keyed to the conducting-pipe 9.

By referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the frame 7 includes certain cross-bars, and that suitable bearings are provided for the vertical conducting-pipe 9 so that said pipe will be maintained in a vertical position, and will avoid undue friction and end thrusts, said details requiring no particular description. Numeral 18 indicates a circular concave-convex shield-plate which is secured to the pipe 9, and which tends to protect the gear wheels from the effects of water discharged through the passageway B.

At 14 are indicated a pair of baffle-plates which are provided for the receptacle 8, and it will be seen that they are disposed at rightangles relative to each other, and by their use four compartments or passageways of segmental form are provided for said receptacle extending from its top iange A toward its convergent bottom, and while I have shown only four of these compartments or passageways, the number may be greater or lesser as may be desired. f v

Numeral 15 indicates a hood of cone-shape, open at its bottom and provided at its top with an intake-port or pipe for receiving gravel, sand, earth and water.

The hood is secured to the casing 6 by means of a collar 25 which is secured to the casing to project outwardly therefrom as an annular ledge, the hood being provided with an annular flange 26 which rests upon said ledge and is riveted thereto, and the wall of the casing being bisected to permit the fiange 26 to engage said collar.

Numeral 16 indicates a metallic plate which is secured at its ends to the wall of the hood, and it will be seen that this member 16 also operates as a bafileplate. f

- The lower open end of the hood 15 is provided with a vertical flange D which is disposed adjacent to and inwardly of the flange A to provide an annular passageway E between said flanges A and D to permit water to flow outwardly to the wall of the casing 6.

The hood is provided centrally with a housing device 17 having the form of av truncated cone, its cover being indicated at 18 and its inclined side wall being indicated at 19; Numerals Q0 indicate a. plurality of bridle-plates, one end of each plate 20 being secured to the cross-plate 16 and its outer end being secured to the inclined side plate 19, and therefore a plurality of compartments F are formed, each having a depth equal to the Width of the plate 1G and opening upon the bottom of the hood.

Numeral 21 indicates a valve which is provided for the rotatable conducting pipe 9 for controlling the delivery of sand and gravel therefrom, and a screen 22 is preferably used to permit drainage of any water from the sand and gravel while moving from the receptacle 8 through said pipe.

In operation, the sand and gravel to be washed, together with their impurities are delivered to the hood through an intake-pipe 23, and water, either under pressure or moved by gravity may be supplied tol the hood through the pipe 24. The mass of material will become partly washed when it falls from the intake-port 23 upon the top or cover 18 of the housing 17, water and mud being discharged through the annular passageways E and D and the sand and gravel will slide downwardly into the receptacle 8.

However, it will be understood that clay, gumbo and vegetable mold, though soluble in water, are not readily separated from sand and gravel, and therefore the baffle-plates of the rotatable receptacle together with the stationary baiiie-plates of the hood as well as their particular arrangement, and the coneshaped form of the parts mentioned, have been provided.

Assuming that the receptacle S contains sand and gravel which ias been washed, and that said receptacle has a rotatable movement, it is obvious that the space S between the open ends of the receptacle and hood, during operation, would become filled from the hood, a part of the contents of the hood moving to said space S, and on account of the rotation of the receptacle S, any lumps of earth would become disintegrated and, by centrifugal force would be carried, together with water and sediment would be moved out through the annual passageways E and vB,the sand and gravel, on account of their weight being retained in the receptacle 8.

It will be appreciated that any lumps of earth or other foreign substances intermixed with the sand and gravel in the space S will be subjected to a grinding action for the reason that the upper edges of the four balileplates 14 move horizontally about a vertical axis at right-angles to the stationary baffleplates 19 and 20, and during the rotatable movement of the receptacle 8 the liquid parts charged with disintegrated earth will be carried out by the centrifugal force mentioned and the gravel and sand of greater specific gravity will remain in said receptacle 8.

It will be understood that the valve 21 lnay be used to control the movement of the washed sand and gravel from the receptacle 8, rdepending upon the proportion of water which is always mixed with the material entering the intake-pipe Q3, and in instances when the unwashed material contains an excess of foreign substances the valve may be used for restricting the discharge of the washed product yfrom the conducting pipe 9 to permit the material in the space S to become completely separated and cleaned, and during operation, if an excess of washed gravel and sand is accumulated said accumulation will move upwardly into the compartments F, and the top or cover 1S of the housing device 17 will prevent the washed gravel and sand in said compartments from moving upwardly in the hood toward the intake-pipe 23.

During operation, an attendant may make suitable adjustments of the valve, depending upon the condition of the unwashed material to be treated, and if the material is practically of uniform condition and consistency very few adjustments will be required.

l claim as my invention,- l. In a gravel and sand washer, a rotatable receptacle of inverted cone-shape having a vertically disposed conducting-pipe extending from its bottom, a1 stationary hood of cone-shape having an intake-port at its top for receiving gravel, sand, earth and water and disposed with its open end inwardly of the open end of the receptacle to provide an annular passageway, battle-plates in the receptacle, a housing device approximately of truncated cone-shape in the hood and having baille-plates disposed in spaced relation relative to the bathe-plates in said receptacle to permit the gravel, sand, earth and water to enter between said battle-plates for separation of the earth and water :from the gravel and sand by the rotation of said receptacle.

2. In a gravel and sand washer, an upright stationary frame including a cylindrical casing, a receptacle of inverted cone-shape having a conducting-pipe leading from its bottom and having an open top disposed within the cylindrical casing to provide a. passageway between said top and said casing, baille-plates within and secured to said receptacle, a hood of cone-shape stationary with the cylindrical casing and having an intake-port at its top for receiving gravel, sand, earth and water and disposed with the peripheral wall of its bottom at the side and inwardly of the top of said receptacle to form a passageway f5 between the receptacle and said hood, bailleplates within and secured to the hood, said receptacle being rotatable to cause separation of the water and earth from the gravel and sand.

8. In a gravel and sand washer, a receptacle of invert-ed cone-shape open at its top and having` a conducting-pipe leading from its bottom, baille-plates disposed at approximately right-angles relative to each other to form upright segmental passageways in said receptacle, a stationary coneshaped hood open at its bottom and having an intake-port at its top for receiving gravel, sand, earth and water, baliie-plates arranged in the form of a truncated cone with a closed tcp and providing a plurality of compartments below the top of the hood and opening on the bottom thereof, said receptacle being disposed below with the peripheral wall of its open end receiving the open end of the hood and providing an annular passageway therebetween and arranged to be rotated to cause separation of the water and earth from the gravel and sand.

l. ln a gravel and sand washer, an up- ;'ght supporting frame including a cylindrical casing, a receptacle of inverted coneshape open at its top and having a conducting-pipe leading from its bottom, said receptacle being disposed within and providing an annular passageway between its top and the upright wall of said casing, bailleplates in said receptacle arranged to provide segmental passagcways extending from its top toward its bottom, a hood of cone-shape open at its bottom and secured to the casing, sa-idhood having an intake-port at its 'top for receiving` gravel.` sand, earth and water and disposed within the open top of the receptacle to provide an annular passageway between the receptacle said hood, and a plurality of baffle-plates arranged as a truncated cone to provide numerous compartments opening on the segmental passageways of said receptacle, and means for rotating said receptacle for causing separation of the water and earth from the gravel and sand.

5. ln a gravel and sand washer, an upright supporting-frame including a cylindrical casing, a receptacle of inverted cone-shape open at its top and disposed within the casing and providing. an annular passageway between its top and the wall of said casing and having a conducting-pipe journalled in said frame, baliie-plates within and extending from the open top of the receptacle toward its bottoni, a hood oit cone-shape open at its bottoni and secured to the casing and having an intake-port at its top for receiving gravel, sand, earth and water and disposed in the casing to provide an annular passageway between its bottom and the top of said receptacle, a plurality of battle-plates mounted in the hood and disposed in spaced relation from the baille-plates of the receptacle, and means for rotating said conducting-pipe and ieceptacle for causing separation of Ithe earth and water from the gravel and sand.

6. in a gravel and sand washer, an upright cylindrical casing, a rotatable receptacle of inverted cone-shape having a vertical flange at its open top, a conducting-pipe leading from its bottoni, and disposed with its vertical flange inwardly of the wall of the casing to provide an annular passageway therebetween, hafiie-plates mounted in said receptacle, a hood of cone-shape within and secured to the casing and having a vertical flange at its open bottom and having an intake-port at its top in communication with the conducting-pipe of said receptacle, and baffle-plates mounted in the hood, said hood sing disposed above the receptacle with its vertical fiange adjacent to and inwardly of the vertical flange of the receptacle to provide an annular passageway therebetween.

7 In a gravel and sand washer, a receptacle of inverted cone-shape open at its top and having a conducting-pipe leading from its bottom, baffle-plates within and secured to said receptacle, a stationary cone-shaped hood open at its bottom and having an intake port at its top for receiving sand, gravel, earth and water, said receptacle being disposed below with the wall of its open end at the side and outwardly of the open end of the hood to provide an annular passageway therebetween, and being revoluble for causing separation of the water and earth from the sand and gravel.

8. In a gravel and sand washer, an upright cylindrical casing, a' rotatable receptacle of inverted cone-shape having a vertical flange at its open top, a conducting-pipe leading from its bottom, and disposed with its verti- Cal fiange inwardly of the wall of the casing to provide an annular' passageway therebetween, balile-plates mounted in said receptacle, a hood of cone-shape within and secured to the casing and having a Vertical flange at its open bottom and having an intake port at its top in communication with the conductingpipe of said receptacle, said hood being disposed above the receptacle with its vertical flange adjacent to and inwardly of the vertical lange of the receptacle to provide an annular passageway therebetween.

9. In a. gravel and sand washer, an upright stationary frame including a cylindricalv casing, a receptacle of inverted coneshape open at its top and having a conducting-pipe leading from its bottom and disposed within the cylindrical casing to provide a passageway between its top and said casing, baille-plates within and secured to said receptacle, a hood of cone-shape stationary with the cylindrical casing and having an intake port at its top for receiving gravel, sand, earth and water and disposed with the peripheral wall of its bottom at the side and inwardly of the top of said receptacle to form a passageway between the receptacle and said hood, baille-plates within and secured to the hood and a valve on said conductingpipe, said receptacle being rotatable to cause separation of the water and earth from the gravel and sand.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

VIRGIL M. HADDON. 

